Improved lightning-rod



W. HALL.

Lightning Rod.

Patented Oct. 18, 1859.

No. 25,823. I

flzen far UNITED Y STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM HALL, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

IMPROVED LIGHTNING-ROD.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 25,823, dated October 18, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Dr. WILLIAM HALL, of the city of Indianapolis, Marion county, and State of Indiana, have inventeda new Improvement in Lightning-Rods; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full and clear and an exact description of the construction of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 presents the point and a section of the rod, and Fig. 2 an end view thereof; and Fig. 3 represents the form of the wire with the groove in which the rod is rolled.

I out a strip of copper plate the width desired-say two or three inchesand any length convenient, ordinarily about sixty inches. I

then have a steel rod about half an inch in diameter, with a groove in one side, comingclose to a guard or plate, upon which is placed the strip of copper. I then turn the rod by means of a crank, and thus wind the sheet around the rod, afterward slipping it oft, which gives me one section. These sections are slipped into each other continuously, and fastened together by means of a rivet or any other convenient mode, until the rod is of sufficient length to answer the purpose required.

In order to enable me to get any amount of surface, I cut the strip as wide as I desire, so I can wind it several times around the steel rod aforesaid, still leaving the edges open, giving unbroken play of the electricity over both the inside and outside surfaces.

The advantages gained by this rod are these, that a sheet of copper four times as thin as that used in other kinds of lightning-rods can be used, which gives four times the surface used in other rods out of the same amount of material; secondly, the mode of constructing gives greater solidity and strength than by twisting; and, thirdly,it is manufactured ID uch cheaper, and the loss that is taken up by twisting is likewise saved.

WVh-at I claim, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, as an article of manufacture, is

The construction of a lightning-rod presenting a great amount of conducting-surface in a compact form, when the same is constructed in the manner described WM. HALL.

Witnesses:

R. S. GEE, D. A. BOHLEN. 

